The present invention relates to binders, and more particularly, to binders with transparent front windows to accommodate a visual display.
Binders with transparent spine and front cover pockets are available in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,857,797, issued to Streff et al. (hereinafter Streff), discloses a three-ring binder which includes a spine, front cover and back cover. Each of the spine, front cover, and back cover has a substantially solid base plate and an outer plastic shell. The spine and front cover each includes a rectangular picture frame with outer edges aligned with and bonded to the bottom and side edges of the spine and cover. A clear plastic membrane is secured to the interior of the frame to cover the opening in the picture frame. The top edges of the frame are spaced inwardly and free of the outer plastic shell on the spine and front cover to form insert pockets. A user may insert a visual display sheet or other paper-like or card-like objects in these insert pockets.
As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,720,564, issued to Winzen, discloses a binder which has a front cover, a rear cover, a spine. The Winzen patent also discloses a transparent label holder which extends across the spine and is attached to at least one of the covers. Accordingly, information or visual display sheets may be carried on the front cover as well as the spine.
However, the Streff and the Winzen binders do not include a mechanism for securing the information or visual display sheets once they are inserted in the spine and front cover pockets. Furthermore, the Streff and the Winzen binders are not designed so as to provide a user with a view of the objects contained within the interior of the binders.
A binder assembly in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present inventions includes a front cover, a rear cover, and a spine connecting the front and rear covers. The front cover has a transparent sheet mounted on the cover. The transparent sheet spans substantially over the cover to form a front cover pocket. An opening extends along a corner between the front cover and the spine to provide access to the front cover pocket. A closure arrangement is provided to facilitate the closing of the opening.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, the base plate of the front cover is substantially stiff or rigid. In one embodiment, the base plate is transparent to allow the option of permitting the user to see through the front cover into the interior of the binder. However, the base plate may also be made of opaque material.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the spine includes an inner support interconnecting said front and rear covers. A second thin transparent sheet overlies said inner support and forms a spine pocket between the inner support and the second transparent sheet. The opening along the corner between the front cover and the spine also provides access to the spine pocket.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, transparent rectangular areas of sheet material are bonded to the first transparent sheet on the front cover to form small transparent pockets. These transparent pockets may be either on the outside or the inside of the transparent sheet. When they are mounted on the inside, a zipper or other closure may extend around three sides of the transparent sheet, so that it may be raised up from the cover to give access for inserting visual material into the small pockets.
In accordance with one specific illustrative embodiment of the invention, a binder having front and rear covers pivotally secured to a spine, also has a window assembly secured to the front cover, with the window assembly having a transparent layer and a peripheral frame or binding around the edge of the transparent layer. At least one side of the window assembly is permanently secured to one side of the front cover, and the remainder of the periphery of the window assembly is releasably secured to the periphery of the front cover to permit the insertion of visual material, and to provide a high strength unitary binder following securing of the window assembly to the front cover.
In one preferred embodiment of the arrangements described in the preceding paragraph, additional strips of transparent sheet material are secured to the inner surface of said transparent layer to provide small inner pockets for display material, and the window assembly may be pivoted away from the front cover to permit the insertion of visual material into the small inner pockets. A zipper extending around three sides of the window assembly may be employed to selectively secure the window assembly to the front cover of the binder.
The above described and many other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.